Returning Player- How To Ranger These Days?

Hi there, Slenn from Cerebus. Just reactivated last week since 2009. Planning on focusing on my lvl 57 RNG that i gave up on back in the day ( account got hacked, rolled back from lvl 65 ).

I feel completely overwhelmed with getting back into the game since it has changed so much and I really need some help with getting back into this job.

I plan on duo'ing with a SAM, how should i go about leveling with RNG? Which sub job should i be using for solo/duo? FOV/GOV?

I especially need some advice on gear progression while leveling. Bow or Xbow? Should i be using cheap ammo for tp and good ammo on WS? ( not very rich atm). What should i be looking up to in the future?

I am sure i am forgetting something.... Any help would be very much appreciated!!

Sadly at the moment in FFXI ranger is only really useful if you have an Annihilator or Yoichi, and only then is used for a handful of events. In my honest opinion i would say lvl a different job and work you way into ranger slowly.

another thing too is that now leveling ANY job is easier than making a cream pie for a money shot >.> so uh... ya go lvl something else, unless you wanna dedicate your life to rng, then lvl that and then something else to get stuff for your rng (like ninja or something)

Not incredibly expensive, and should work well at your level(AF feet are 60 so not sure why I added them).
Middle levels are dead, so people don't bother making some of that gear(Jaridah/Akijina especially) so they might be hard to find. If you can't get them, look for something much cheaper and actually available, or, just use AF, as bad as that sounds. Hands/Legs are pretty crappy but better than nothing I guess.

There aren't a ton of upgrades you need to worry about before 75.
Ohat, Crimson/Blood Hands, Osode, Relic Feet/Legs, higher Racc rings are all I can think of at the moment. A lot of your upgrades will depend on how much progress you had made before the hacking.

/Dancer would be the most useful sub for Soloing or Duoing. Xbow is by far your best bet for ranged weapon. Bloody to help heal yourself without using TP to often, Acid to speed up kills, Sleep if you happen to get a link you don't want to deal with, Holy for pure damage, Mythril/Darksteel for WS.

If you can't afford all that, I would use cheap bolts for TP and just swap in a mythril or something for Slug Shot.

If you have a higher job(or can go with your friend) I'd look in to getting Othinius Bow from Wyvernpoacher Drachlox in Gustav Tunnel. Would probably be your best weapon for a good while.

Quince is right, though I hate to think about it or admit it. No one wants a Rng for much of anything if they don't have Annihilator or Yoichinoyumi(They don't want this as much as gun). Gandiva or Armageddon are OK as well, for Voidwatch at least.

Not going to suggest you avoid it though, play whatever you want and go as far as you want with whatever job you like. Going to be ignored for one event or the other no matter what you pick anyways, so may as well do what you enjoy.